The present invention relates generally to graphical user interfaces and, more particularly, to graphical user interfaces employing menus in motion.
The utility that has spawned the popularity of computers today is the graphical user interface, or GUI. As is well known, GUIs offer the user an array of options, typically in the form of icons, which are selected, and the underlying applications executed, with the aid of a cursor controlled by a pointing device such as a mouse. In many GUIs today, there is such a myriad of graphics and text, that it is easy to become confused as to which are selectable options that can be executed, and which are just images placed in the display to make the operating environment more visually appealing to the user. To overcome this confusion, many cursors have a function integrated into them that will present a response when the user moves the cursor over, or onto, an option that is selectable. The cursor, in these systems, will not respond if the user moves the cursor over an object that is displayed merely for looks. A typical response from the cursor attempting to identify these selectable options, or hotspots, is a screen pop which is a dialog box typically containing text identifying the application or function available from the selectable option or hotspot. Although this helps the user to a certain extent, there remains a problem with newer, more advanced GUI technology.
With the advent of animated menus, or menus in motion, the user can now see a myriad of options scrolling, or spinning, by them in the display. This method of displaying enables a GUI to present more options to a user while occupying the least amount of display space real estate possible. The problem with this combination of displaying options and the current means by which a cursor is enabled to respond, is that it does not maximize the capabilities of their union. In GUIs today, the cursor must be moved onto a hotspot for the cursor""s response which identifies that location as a hotspot to occur. Without this cursor movement being processed by the system, if a hotspot were to scroll or spin under a cursor at rest, there would be no response from the cursor and therefore that option would not appear selectable. To maximize the capabilities of the union between the animated display and the cursor notification utility, a system would need to monitor the location of the cursor as well as know what areas of the moving display are selectable and where those locations are with respect to the cursor""s location. By allowing a static cursor to detect these moving hotspots, not only is the utility of the animated menu increased, but it also makes it possible for a user to park the cursor and wait for a desired option to scroll to the cursor at which point the cursor will respond in recognition of the hotspot and further allow the user to select the desired option. This added functionality would allow a user to either chase down moving hotspots, or wait for them to cycle to a parked cursor for selection.
What is needed is a method, a system, a propagated signal, and software for detecting a cursor""s position without any user interference or input, keeping track of the locations of selectable options in a display, comparing the locations of both the cursor and the selectable options, and enabling the cursor to respond when the comparison yields an overlap of the locations of each.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method comprising the actions of maintaining at least one target on at least a portion of a display, maintaining a cursor on at least a portion of the display, moving the at least one target about the display, and tracking the position of the moving target on the display relative to the position of the cursor on the display.
The present invention further provides a computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions comprising the actions of maintaining at least one target on at least a portion of a display, maintaining a cursor on at least a portion of the display, moving the at least one target about the display, and tracking the position of the moving target on the display relative to the position of the cursor on the display.
The present invention also provides a system comprising at least one processor, memory operably associated with said processor, a cursor control device configured to control a cursor on a display, and a program of instructions comprising the actions of maintaining at least one target on at least a portion of the display, maintaining the cursor on at least a portion of the display, moving the at least one target about the display, and tracking the position of the moving target on the display relative to the position of the cursor on the display.
The present invention also provides a signal embodied in a propagation medium comprising at least one instruction configured to maintain at least one target on at least a portion of a display, at least one instruction configured to maintain a cursor on at least a portion of the display, at least one instruction configured to move the at least one target about the display, and at least one instruction configured to track the position of the moving target on the display relative to the position of the cursor on the display.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for tracking moving hotspots with a static cursor.
It is an object of the present invention to notify the user of a moving hotspot by highlighting the object representing the hotspot.
The present invention provides the advantage of allowing a static cursor or moving cursor to identify moving hotspots.
The present invention further provides the advantage of highlighting a hotspot when a moving hotspot comes into contact with a static or moving cursor.